"It's necessary for the Thai government to accelerate upgrading labour skills," he said, noting that many Thai wage workers remain poverty-stricken and are ageing. Of 37 million Thai workers, he said up to 46% only have at most a primary school education, with most of them in the agriculture sector and aged 40-50 years. Mr Thanit predicted Thailand's unemployment rate over the next decade may rise in line with that of developed countries, which are now reliant on technology and machinery. He proposed that the Thai government introduce training programmes to help Thai workers upgrade their skills. Mr Lae said many workers have not been given the opportunity to improve their working skills.

Source: Bangkok Post May 01, 2017 21:45 UTC